The present invention relates to food processors having rotary blades for rapidly slicing or chopping food items, and particularly relates to a method and device for controllably feeding small food items into such a food processor.
Food processors, because of their ability to rapidly slice, pulp, grind, or chop vegetables, fruits, and meats, have become very popular in recent years. Such food processors usually comprise an electric motor connected to drive various interchangeable rotary blades adapted to either slice, chop, grate, or otherwise cut a large piece of food into smaller pieces. Generally each blade is a flat disc having two or more sharp edges. An opening through the disc is generally provided in front of each sharpened edge of the blade, to permit a slice of the food being processed to fall into a receptacle located below the blade.
Food to be processed is introduced through a generally vertical chute which is normally a part of a cover or shroud which encloses the top side of the rotating blade. The chute is located in eccentric relation to the rotating blade, and a pusher whose size and shape correspond to the interior of the chute is used to push food articles downward into contact with the rotating blade.
So long as the feed chute is filled to capacity with food items to be processed, such food processors can quickly cut food items into attractive slices having parallel sides and regular thickness. Because the feed chute is usually an oval tube about 11/2 inches by 3 inches in size, however, processing items such as celery, carrots, cold cuts of meat, and small diameter sausages requires the use of a considerable amount of food to fill the feed chute so that food can be sliced evenly, making use of the processor uneconomical when only small quantities of such items are desired to be sliced.
Another disadvantage of such food processors is that it is very difficult to produce regular slices of unevenly shaped articles of food, particularly articles of small size relative to the inferior dimensions of the feed chute. For example, some foods are easily sliced with such a food processor, but may turn inside the feed chute, resulting in slices which do not have parallel sides. Additionally, stalks of celery, carrot roots, and green onion tops are very difficult to slice evenly using such a food processor.
Slices of small items, such as olives or strawberries, are very attractive as garnishing for salads and the like, and are difficult and time consuming to slice by hand. Slicing such articles by the use of a food processor, however, is also difficult since the article is frequently rotated by the force imparted by the rotating blades of the food processor, with the result that slices are wedge shaped rather than having parallel sides, when the ordinary pusher provided with the processor is used. If food is held by tongs or a fork inside the feed chute, there is a serious danger of the tongs or fork hitting the rapidly spinning blade.
When shredding food, orientation of an oblong piece controls the length of the shreds. Using previously known food processor feeding methods, the pieces of food may be moved by impact of the shredding blade edges, causing uncontrollably irregular shred lengths.
What is desired, then, is a device for feeding articles into a food processor and holding them during processing to permit production of even slices, even when the article being processed is very small in relation to the size of the feed chute of the food processor. Of course, such a device must include provision to prevent its being engaged by the rapidly rotating blades of the food processor, because of the danger involved to the operator, as well as the risk of damage to the food processor.
This problem has apparently not been previously addressed directly, although Campbell U.S. Pat. No. 3,088,345 discloses a kitchen utensil for use in pushing refuse into a rotary garbage disposal unit. The Campbell utensil comprises a flat faced pushing end connected by a shaft to a handle, and includes a cross arm to limit the depth of its insertion into a garbage grinder to prevent interference with the cutting edges of the grinder mechanism.
Azmus U.S. Pat. No. 3,107,711 discloses a similar device for forcing meat into a food grinder, in which the position of the hand relative to the pushing end of the device is adjustable. The handle of the Azmus device also includes a splash guard which extends horizontally around the shaft of the device and limits its insertion into a grinder.
Mueller U.S. Pat. No. 2,066,997 discloses a tamping implement for use in packing vegetables, fruits, and other foodstuffs into containers such as canning jars. One embodiment of the Mueller tamper includes a pliable rubber tip having a V-shaped crotch to aid in gripping the material being packed into a canning jar.
Although the above-described utensils may be useful for forcing material into garbage grinders, meat grinders, and canning jars, none of them is particularly well adapted for use with a food processor to hold small pieces of fruits, vegetables, or meat, to permit the use of a food processor for slicing these food articles into regular flat slices in a safe and efficient manner.